2. What are you reading right now? About 10 books. Nonfiction: 1491 by Charles Mann, The Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan, and Nudge by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein. YA: Fire Season by David Weber, SFF: Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett, and Raven Cursed by Faith Hunter. (There are more, and all are scattered across print, ebooks, and audiobooks!)

3. Describe ACRL in three words: Relevant, learning, evolving.

4. What do you value most about ACRL? ACRL is the one organization that’s focused on precisely where I put my energy and attention: Academic librarianship. So, in my world, the resources that ACRL dedicates to connecting academic librarians to each other and to big ideas about our shared profession are invaluable. The organization, as a powerful presence for many librarians, can draw attention to undervalued areas of our profession, highlight issues that we should be aware of, and connect thinkers to doers in ways we cannot do alone.

5. What do you, as an academic librarian, contribute to your campus? Personally, I advocate for smart and thoughtful use of information as the scaffolding our academic programs are built on — whether that’s by talking about our Information Literacy program, debating General Education standards, or sharing information on the pedagogical implications of tablet computing and etexts. More broadly, I believe that thinking critically about information is a core piece of the undergraduate liberal arts education, and libraries live at the heart of that, so we contribute broadly and deeply to that core mission of our institution.

6. In your own words: As a directionless generalist with a BA, at the start of my career I semi-seriously told my family that I was going to be a librarian so I could stay on a college campus forever, surrounded by smart people doing interesting things. While that’s totally true (and it’s played out rather well for me!) I also believe that librarians make a difference in the quality of a college education, and that a college education is one path to making better people in our world — better consumers, better thinkers, better neighbors — so what I do all day contributes to creating a better world for us all to live in. If I do nothing else, I can live with that. (Plus, smart people doing interesting things!)

Editor’s Note: Are you an ACRL member? Would you like to be featured as ACRL Member of the Week? Nominate a colleague? Contact Mary Jane Petrowski at mpetrowski@ala.org for more information.